Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Sheer shook things up last week when he announced his new shadow cabinet.

Alberta MP John Barlow was named the associate agriculture and agri-food critic and couldn't be happier.

"Certainly the fact that we have such a diverse riding when it comes to agriculture, agribusiness and agrifood certainly helped in making that selection," he said.

He's already worked with the agriculture and trade critic, Luc Berthold, and says while he focuses on western Canadian issues, Berthold will concentrate more on Quebec and east.

"I think that also shows how important agriculture is to Andrew Sheer and the Conservative Party if he wants two people handling this file, we'll be able to make sure it's a priority and really put a lot of focus into it," Barlow said.